CN116896753A - Using SSB measurements to improve SCell activation - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to utilizing SSB measurements to improve SCell activation. Methods, systems, and computer readable media for performing operations comprising: determining time or frequency synchronization information of each candidate Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) of one or more candidate SSBs of a secondary cell (SCell) prior to receiving a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status activation command or a SCell activation command; receiving the TCI state activation command; and based on the received TCI state activation command, receiving at least one signal from the SCell using the determined time or frequency synchronization information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs.

Description

Using SSB measurements to improve SCell activation

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority and benefit from U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/325,585 filed 3/30 at 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

The wireless communication network provides an integrated communication platform and telecommunications services to the wireless user equipment. Exemplary telecommunications services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and/or video data), messaging, internet access, and/or other services. Wireless communication networks include wireless access nodes and wireless devices (e.g., user equipment) that exchange wireless signals according to wireless network protocols, such as those described in various telecommunications standards promulgated by the third generation partnership project (3 GPP), as well as other standardized and non-standardized protocols.

Disclosure of Invention

Techniques described herein improve secondary cell (SCell) activation by storing time, frequency, and/or power information of a priority list of Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) prior to receiving a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status indication. The priority list of candidate SSBs may include those SSBs corresponding to transmit beams that the network is likely to select for communication with a User Equipment (UE), and may be determined or prioritized by the UE based on SSB-related measurements. Upon receiving the TCI state during the SCell activation procedure, the UE may utilize the stored time, frequency, and/or power information of the selected SSB to complete SCell activation without additional steps and/or time for time and frequency tracking, which may result in faster SCell activation.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, techniques for improving SCell activation include: storing time or frequency synchronization information for each of the one or more candidate SSBs prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command, or both; receiving a TCI state activation command; and based on the TCI state activation command, receiving at least one signal from the SCell using the determined time or frequency synchronization information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs.

The details of one or more embodiments of the systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless network according to some embodiments.

Fig. 2 illustrates a secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5 illustrates a User Equipment (UE) according to some embodiments.

Fig. 6 illustrates an access node according to some embodiments.

Detailed Description

Carrier aggregation is a technique aimed at increasing network capacity and data rate by aggregating multiple contiguous or non-contiguous frequency blocks destined for a User Equipment (UE). When carrier aggregation is used, a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (scells) are configured between the UE and the network. Scells may be dynamically activated (or deactivated) to account for changes in network traffic, movement of UEs, or any of a variety of other reasons. To activate the SCell, the UE performs an SCell activation procedure that includes a series of operations to prepare the UE and SCell for subsequent communications. Each of these operations takes time, which results in a delay in SCell activation.

Techniques described herein improve SCell activation by configuring a UE to store time, frequency, and/or power information (e.g., time offset, frequency offset, and/or received power measurements) of a priority list of Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) prior to receiving a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status indication. Upon receiving the TCI state, the UE may utilize its prior knowledge of the time, frequency, and/or power information of the selected SSB to complete SCell activation without additional time and frequency tracking. In this way, the time required to complete SCell activation may be reduced, thereby reducing activation latency and increasing network efficiency, among other things.

Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless network 100 according to some embodiments. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 102 and a base station 104 connected via one or more channels 106A, 106B across an air interface 108. The UE 102 and the base station 104 communicate using a system that supports control for managing access of the UE 102 to the network via the base station 104.

For convenience, but not limitation, the wireless network 100 is described in the context of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and fifth generation (5G) new air interface (NR) communication standards as defined by the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) Technical Specification (TS). More specifically, wireless network 100 is described in the context of non-independent (NSA) networks that combine both LTE and NR, such as E-UTRA (evolved universal terrestrial radio access) -NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) networks and NE-DC networks. However, the wireless network 100 may also be a Standalone (SA) network that incorporates only NRs. In addition, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, wiMAX, etc.), and so forth. Although the terms commonly associated with 5G NR may be used herein to describe aspects, aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to other systems such as 3G, 4G, or systems after 5G (e.g., 6G).

In wireless network 100, UE 102 and any other UE in the system may be, for example, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a machine type device such as a smart meter or a dedicated device for healthcare monitoring, a remote security monitoring system, a smart transportation system, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. In network 100, base station 104 provides network connectivity to a wider network (not shown) for UE 102. The UE 102 connectivity is provided via an air interface 108 in a base station service area provided by a base station 104. In some embodiments, such a wider network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or may be the internet. Each base station service area associated with a base station 104 is supported by an antenna integrated with the base station 104. The service area is divided into a plurality of sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with fixed antennas or may be allocated to physical areas with tunable antennas or antenna settings that may be adjusted during beamforming to direct signals to a particular sector.

UE 102 includes control circuitry 110 coupled with transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114. The transmit circuitry 112 and the receive circuitry 114 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. The control circuit 110 may be adapted to perform operations associated with selection of a codec for communication and to adapt the codec for wireless communication as part of system congestion control. The control circuit 110 may include various combinations of dedicated circuitry and baseband circuitry. The transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry or Front End Module (FEM) circuitry, including communications using the codecs described herein.

In various embodiments, aspects of the transmit circuitry 112, the receive circuitry 114, and the control circuitry 110 may be integrated in various ways to implement the circuitry described herein. The control circuitry 110 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as UE-related operations described elsewhere in this disclosure. The transmit circuitry 112 may transmit a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) or Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) and carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 112 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry 110 for transmission across the air interface 108. Similarly, the receive circuitry 114 may receive a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 108 and relay those physical channels to the control circuitry 110. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM and carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 112 and the receive circuitry 114 may transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) structured within a data block carried by a physical channel.

Fig. 1 also shows a base station 104. In an embodiment, the base station 104 may be a NG Radio Access Network (RAN) or 5G RAN, E-UTRAN, non-terrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN" or the like may refer to a base station 104 operating in an NR or 5G wireless network 100, and the term "E-UTRAN" or the like may refer to a base station 104 operating in an LTE or 4G wireless network 100. The UE 102 utilizes connections (or channels) 106A, 106B, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer.

The base station 104 circuitry may include control circuitry 116 coupled with transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120. The transmit circuitry 118 and the receive circuitry 120 may each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface 108.

The control circuit 116 may be adapted to perform the following operations: analyzing and selecting a codec, managing congestion control and bandwidth limited communications from a base station, determining whether the base station is codec aware, and communicating with the codec aware base station to manage codec selection for various communication operations described herein. The transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 104 using data generated by the various codecs described herein. Transmit circuitry 118 may transmit a downlink physical channel comprising a plurality of downlink subframes. The receive circuitry 120 may receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from various UEs including the UE 102.

In this example, one or more channels 106A, 106B are shown to implement an air interface for communication coupling and may conform to cellular communication protocols such as GSM protocols, CDMA network protocols, PTT protocols, POC protocols, UMTS protocols, 3GPP LTE protocols, long term evolution-advanced (LTE-a) protocols, LTE-based unlicensed spectrum access (LTE-U), 5G protocols, NR-based unlicensed spectrum access (NR-U) protocols, and/or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In an embodiment, the UE 102 may exchange communication data directly via the ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a SL interface and may include one or more logical channels including, but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH and PSBCH.

In some examples, a UE (e.g., UE 102) and a base station (e.g., base station 104) may employ Carrier Aggregation (CA) techniques to communicate with each other. CA aims to increase network capacity and data rate by aggregating multiple contiguous or non-contiguous frequency blocks or Component Carriers (CCs) destined for a single user. When CA is used, a plurality of serving cells are configured between the UE and the network (e.g., base station), where each serving cell corresponds to a DL CC, a UL CC, or both. Generally, a serving cell includes a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (scells). The PCell may be a first serving cell established (e.g., after an initial access procedure) and may be responsible for handling Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections. The SCell may then be configured by RRC signaling on the PCell.

Scells may be dynamically activated (or deactivated) to account for changes in network traffic, movement of UEs, or any of a variety of other reasons. For example, one or more scells may be in a deactivated state when traffic between the UE and the network is low. When the network detects an increase in traffic to or from the UE, the network may transmit an activation command to cause the UE to activate one or more configured scells. To activate the SCell, the UE performs an SCell activation procedure that includes a series of operations to prepare the UE and SCell for subsequent communications. Each of these operations takes time, which results in a delay in SCell activation.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example SCell activation procedure 200 according to some embodiments. To initiate SCell activation, the network sends an SCell activation command 202 to the UE. The activate command may be in the form of a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) command, such as described in 3gpp ts38.321 (v.16.7.0) section 6.1.3.10, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some examples, other signaling, such as Downlink Control Information (DCI), may be used to trigger activation. The activation command may specify one or more SCell indices corresponding to scells to be activated (sometimes referred to as target scells).

Upon receiving the SCell activation command 202, the UE may decode and verify the command. Once authenticated, the UE may be directed to the networkA hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) 204 is transmitted. The delay between SCell activation command 202 and HARQ-ACK 204 is denoted T _HARQ 206. After confirming the SCell activation command, the UE is allocated time for post-processing and RF preparation/tuning (e.g., parsing and applying MAC-CE). The delay resulting from these operations is denoted as T _{MAC_CE} 208, in some examples, the delay may be up to 3ms. In some examples, at T _{MAC_CE} 208, DL and/or UL transmissions are interrupted 210.

If the target SCell is unknown to the UE, the UE may perform a cell search and Automatic Gain Control (AGC) tuning operation to identify the target SCell. The delay caused by these operations is denoted as T _{SEARCH_AGC} 212. In some examples, T _{SEARCH_AGC} 212 has 24 x t _rs Wherein T is the length of _rs Is the SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) periodicity of the target SCell (or another measurement object).

In 5G NR, the network may employ multiple directional transmitter beams to serve the UE. Thus, after cell search and AGC operation, the network may still need to determine which transmitter beam the SCell should use to transmit to the UE. To make this determination, the network (e.g., base station) may transmit a series of SSBs 214 (sometimes referred to as SSB bursts) to the UE, wherein each SSB in the SSB burst is transmitted by a different transmit beam. Such SSB bursts may be transmitted periodically (e.g., at a period of 10ms, 20ms, etc.). UE at time T _{L1-RSRP_MEAS} L1 Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements are performed for each received SSB 214 during 216. In some examples, such as when the UE has multiple receive beams, the UE may measure RSRP for each beam-link pair.

After completion of the L1-RSRP measurement, the UE generates an L1-RSRP report for transmission 220 to the network. Generally, the L1-RSRP report indicates the link quality of each beam (or each beam-to-link) to identify the best transmitter beam (and the best receiver beam for receiving signals from a particular transmitter beam) for downlink transmissions by the SCell. In some examples, L1-RSRP measurements may be reported from L1 (e.g., physical layer) to L3 (e.g.,RRC layer) and the UE may derive the L3-RSRP report from the L1-RSRP measurement results. The process of generating and transmitting L1 and/or L3 RSRP reports may be at time T _{L1-RSRP_REPORT} 218 occurs during the period of time.

The network selects the best beam to transmit to the UE based on the received report. Once the transmit beam has been selected, the network indicates to the UE, through the active PCell or SCell, the SSB corresponding to the selected beam. In some examples, the indication is present during an uncertainty period T _{UNCERTAINTY_MAC} 222, and a MAC-CE Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status activation command 224 to the UE. The TCI state identified in the command may indicate an index of the SSB corresponding to the selected beam. This SSB may later be used for time-frequency tracking on the SCell, as discussed below. In some examples, the TCI state may also specify a quasi co-location (QCL) type to indicate to the UE that the identified SSB is quasi co-located with subsequently transmitted signals. For example, the TCI state may indicate an SSB quasi co-located with a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) of the target SCell. In some examples, multiple MAC-CE commands may be received to indicate TCI status of some or all of PDCCH, PDSCH, CSI-RS, and the like.

Upon receiving the TCI state activation command 224, the UE may decode and verify the command. Once authenticated, the UE may transmit HARQ-ACKs 226 to the network. The delay between the TCI state activation command 224 and the HARQ-ACK 226 is denoted as T _HARQ 228. After acknowledging the TCI state activation command, the UE is allocated time for post-processing and RF tuning to be ready to receive synchronization signals from the target SCell. The delay resulting from these operations is denoted as T _{MAC_CE} 230, in some examples, the delay may be up to 3ms.

From here on, the UE may perform a time and frequency synchronization procedure on the SSB 232 identified for the target SCell. Generally, the process may include: the identified SSBs are received and measurements, such as Timing Offset (TO) and/or Frequency Offset (FO) measurements, are performed TO determine TO, FO and/or other time or frequency synchronization information of the SSBs. In doing so, the UE is ready for subsequent operations, such as monitoring PDSCH and +.Or PDCCH, or measure CSI-RS signals from the SCell for CSI reporting procedures (e.g., channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reporting). The time and frequency synchronization procedure results in a delay T _{FINE_TIMING} 234+T _SSB 236. Delay T _{FINE_TIMING} 234 corresponds to the period of time between the completion of the processing of the last MAC CE TCI state activation command and the timing of the first (or second, third, etc. depending on the implementation) fully available SSB associated with the TCI state. Delay T _SSB 236 corresponds to the time allocated for processing the received SSB, which may be up to 2ms in some examples.

Once the UE has obtained time and frequency synchronization information (e.g., TO/FO), a CSI reporting process may be performed. In general, the CSI reporting process may include: receiving a CSI-RS 238 transmitted from a target SCell; performing measurements on the received CSI-RS 238 to generate a CQI report 240; and transmitting the CQI report to the network. As a result of this process, a process denoted T is induced _{CSI_REPORTING} 242.

As can be seen from the discussion of SCell activation procedure 200, the amount of time required to perform SCell activation may be significant. For example, in the event that the unknown target SCell is operating in the FR2 band with an undetermined TCI state, the delay T between the acknowledgement 204 of the SCell activation command 202 and the transmission of the CQI report 240 _{ACTIVATION_TIME} 244 may be equal to T _{MAC_CE} +T _{SEARCH_AGC} +T _{L1-RSRP_MEAS} +T _{L1-RSRP_REPORT} +T _{UNCERTAINTY_MAC} +T _HARQ +T _{MAC_CE} +T _{FINE_TIMING} +T _SSB +T _{CSI_REPORTING} And (3) summing. While various other scenarios of SCell activation are possible due to changes in factors such as operating frequency range, cell knowledge, and configuration of SSBs, activation delay is still significant.

For example, 3gpp ts38.133 provides an example of activation time in 5G NR when the target SCell is known and the first cell is in band:

if the SCell being activated belongs to FR2, and if there is no active serving cell on this FR2 band, it is assumed that PCell or PSCell is in FR1 or FR 2:

If the target SCell is known to the UE and CSI reporting using semi-persistent CSI-RS, T _{activation_time} The method comprises the following steps:

3ms+max(T _{uncertainty_MAC} +T _FineTiming +2ms,T _{uncertainty_SP} ) Wherein if the UE receives the SCell activation command, the semi-persistent CSI-RS activation command and the TCI state activation command simultaneously, T _{uncertainty_MAC} =0 and T _{uncertainty_SP} ＝0。

If the target SCell is known to the UE and CSI reporting is performed using periodic CSI-RS, T _{activation_time} The method comprises the following steps:

max(T _{uncertainty_MAC} +5ms+T _FineTiming ,T _{uncertainty_RRC} +T _{RRC_delay} -T _HARQ ) Wherein if the UE receives the SCell activation command and the TCI state activation command simultaneously, T _{uncertainty_MAC} ＝0。

In this scenario, the target cell is known, but the SCell transmit beam is pending or there is a change. During the SCell activation procedure (e.g., procedure 200), the network may send a TCI state activation MAC-CE command to indicate the target SCell beam, which introduces T _{uncertainty_MAC} As a delay. Furthermore, once the SCell transmit beam is indicated, the standard allows the UE to spend additional time T _FineTiming To improve time and frequency errors. Thus, regardless of the particular scenario, the UE must spend time measuring time and/or frequency errors and compensating for the error or errors, depending on the TCI indication. In the current architecture, this is during a time period T _FineTiming During +2ms, and the network must assume the worst case for this time to ensure that the UE has enough opportunity to perform quality measurements and improvements to ensure the integrity of subsequent reports (e.g., CQI reports) and communications.

In some scenarios, TO reduce the time required for SCell activation, the techniques described herein allow a UE TO store time, frequency, and/or power information (e.g., TO, FO, and/or RSRP) of a priority list of candidate SSBs prior TO receiving a TCI status indication. The prioritized list of candidate SSBs may include those SSBs corresponding to transmit beams that the network is likely to select for communication with the UE, and may be determined or prioritized by the UE based on SSB-related measurements. Upon receiving the TCI state, the UE may utilize its prior knowledge of the time, frequency, and/or power information of the selected SSB to adjust one or more receiver parameters (e.g., FFT window) without additional delay for fine time tracking. Thus, the delay associated with SCell activation is reduced, thereby improving SCell activation.

For example, assume that a semi-persistent CSI-RS for CQI is activated together with a TCI state activation command and that the target SSB has a period of 20 ms. According to the 3GPP requirements, T _{activation_time} ＝3ms+max(T _{uncertainty_MAC} +T _FineTiming +2ms,T _{uncertainty_SP} ). Thus, under the current architecture, when T _{uncertainty_MAC} When=0 and tunertainty_sp=0, T _{activation_time} Will be equal to 25ms. In contrast, the techniques described herein may relinquish T by utilizing known time, frequency, and/or power information of SSBs _FineTiming To T (T) _{activation_time} To 5ms.

In some examples, to generate the list of candidate SSBs, the UE identifies QCL source SSBs or other RSs of the configured CSI-RS resources when adding and/or configuring the SCell. Typically, one or more CSI-RSs are configured for the SCell, and the QCL source SSB is provided by the RRC IE of the QCL-infosperiodicsl-RS of the CSI-RS resources. QCL source SSBs of configured CSI-RS resources may be included in a set of candidate SSBs referred to herein as set a. Set a may or may not be available depending on whether the network has configured CSI-RS resources for CQI when adding SCell.

In some examples, the UE records the detected SSBs that have been reported to the network by an L3-RSRP report. These SSBs may be included in a candidate SBS set referred to herein as set B. The UE may also form another set of candidate SSBs, referred to herein as set C, based on the configured SBS of the L1-RSRP report. Note that the network may configure SSBs in RRC IE SSB PositionInBurst for each added SCell, but not all of these scells may be detectable by the UE. Thus, the UE may need to detect and/or measure the configured SSB in various procedures for L1 and/or L3 reporting (e.g., those procedures described above with reference to fig. 2).

For each SCell to be activated, the UE may determine the priority list of candidate SSBs as the intersection of set a and set B and/or set C. If set A is not available, the priority list may be based on set B and/or set C only. The UE may then perform measurements (e.g., TO, FO, and/or RSRP measurements) on each SSB in the priority list of candidate SSBs TO obtain time, frequency, and/or power information (e.g., TO, FO, and/or RSRP) for the respective SSB. These measurements may be made at any time between adding/configuring the SCell by RRC and receiving a MAC-CE TCI state activation command for the SCell to be activated, such as before the MAC-CE activation command or in parallel with L1 and/or L3 RSRP measurements, etc. In some examples, measurements are made continuously between the time of adding an SCell through RRC and the time between receiving a MAC-CE TCI state activation command for the SCell to be activated. In some examples, various criteria such as RSRP and/or SINR (e.g., in combination with a threshold, etc.) may be used to narrow the priority list of candidate SSBs. In some examples, the priority list of candidate SSBs may be ordered according to an ordering criteria. For example, the L3 SBS in the priority list may be ordered using SS-RSRP and/or SS-SINR, and the L1 SSB in the priority list may be ordered using L1-RSRP and/or L1-SINR. The UE may select one or more candidate SSBs in the priority list (e.g., based on ranking criteria) for continuous TO/FO measurement and result storage.

Upon receiving the MAC-CE TCI state activation command, the UE may check whether the SSB of the QCL source RS indicated in the indicated TCI state is included in the priority list of candidate SSBs. Specifically, the UE may examine SSB TCI-State:: QCL-Info:: reference Signal of the QCL source RS:

if the QCL source SSB indicated in the TCI state is included in the priority list of candidate SSBs, the UE uses known time, frequency and/or power information of the SSB, such as known of the SSBTO, FO and/or RSRP TO adjust one or more receive parameters (e.g., FFT window) and/or otherwise prepare the UE for subsequent communication with the SCell. In this way, the UE may skip the fine tracking step and then directly measure the configured CSI-RS in order to generate the CQI and complete the activation procedure. Thus, SCell activation time may reduce the length of the fine tracking procedure (e.g., T _FineTiming +2 ms). On the other hand, if the QCL source SSB indicated in the TCI state is not included in the priority list of candidate SSBs, the UE may follow a normal fine tracking procedure to complete SCell activation. Note that this procedure may be performed for each SCell to be activated, and a list of candidate SSBs (e.g., set A, B and/or C) may be formed on a per SCell basis.

In some examples, the UE may employ a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) to obtain time, frequency, and/or power information prior to receiving the MAC-CE TCI state activation command. For example, if the network has configured a TRS signal for the target SCell and the QCL source RS is one of the prioritized SSBs, the UE may use the TRS TO predict TO, FO and/or RSRP and may store this information. If the reference signal of the TCI state is the same SSB as the QCL source of the TRS, the UE uses the stored TRS-based information TO improve TO/FO, skip the fine timing procedure, and then make CQI measurements and reports TO complete the SCell activation procedure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary process 300 for reducing SCell activation delay according to some embodiments. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes process 300 in the context of other figures in this specification. For example, the process 300 may be performed by the UE 102 of fig. 1 (in conjunction with the base station 104). It should be appreciated that process 300 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, the various steps of process 300 may be run in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

In this example, the process 300 begins with the UE receiving a MAC-CE SCell activation command 302. The SCell activation command may indicate one or more previously configured scells to be activated by the UE. After receiving the SCell activation command 302, the UE determines if there are any active in-band scells 304 for the target SCell. In this example, if there are any active in-band scells for the target SCell, the process 300 exits 306. Otherwise, if there is no active in-band SCell for the target SCell, the UE determines 308 if the target SCell is known. If not, in this example, the process 300 exits 310.

If the target SCell is known, the UE determines whether the TCI state has been indicated (e.g., by a MAC-CE command) 312. If not, in this example, the UE continues to wait to receive TCI status indications, as such indications are a prerequisite for subsequent steps. Once the TCI state indication has been received, the UE determines whether the QCL source SSB indicated in the TCI state is included in the priority list of candidate SSBs 314, as described herein. If the QCL source SSB indicated in the TCI state is included in the priority list of candidate SSBs, the UE uses the known time, frequency and/or power information (e.g., TO, FO and/or RSRP) of the SSB TO adjust its receiver and then directly measures and reports CQI 316 without performing additional measurements on the SSB corresponding TO the TCI state (and thus reducing SCell activation delay by, for example, T) _FineTiming +T _SSB ). As described herein, time, frequency, and/or power information for each SSB in the priority list of candidate SSBs may be stored prior to receiving the TCI status indication (e.g., prior to operation 312). On the other hand, if the QCL source SSB indicated in the TCI state is not included in the priority list of candidate SSBs, the UE defaults to measure 318 the SSB indicated in the TCI state and delays T _FineTiming (+T _SSB ) Thereafter, CQI 316 is measured and reported.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary process 400 according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes process 400 in the context of other figures in this specification. For example, the process 400 may be performed by the UE 102 of fig. 1 (in conjunction with the base station 104). It should be appreciated that process 400 may be performed by, for example, any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, the various steps of process 400 may be run in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

The operations of process 400 include: the time or frequency synchronization information 402 for each of the one or more candidate SSBs of the SCell is determined prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command or both. For example, a UE (e.g., UE 102) may process SSBs or other signals (e.g., TRS signals) received prior TO the TCI state activation command and/or SCell activation command TO determine TO, FO, and/or other timing or frequency synchronization information for each of the one or more candidate SSBs. In some examples, the UE may determine time or frequency synchronization information for some or all of the candidate SSBs prior to receiving the SCell activation command. In some examples, the UE may determine time or frequency synchronization information for some or all of the candidate SSBs during the time between receipt of the SCell activation command and receipt of the TCI state activation command. The time or frequency synchronization information for each of the one or more candidate SSBs may be stored in hardware storage for later retrieval.

In some examples, the one or more candidate SSBs correspond to transmit beams that the network is likely to select for communication with the UE. In some examples, the one or more candidate SSBs may include those QCL sources SSBs (e.g., set a) of CSI-RS resources configured for the UE, SSBs that have been identified by the UE via the L3-RSRP procedure (e.g., set B), SSBs that have been identified by the UE via the L1-RSRP procedure (e.g., set C), or a combination thereof, or the like. In some examples, the UE may rank or narrow the list of candidate SSBs based on, for example, received power measurements.

At 404, the UE receives a TCI state activation command. In some examples, the UE identifies one of the one or more candidate SSBs based on the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command. For example, the UE may identify a QCL source SSB associated with the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command and may compare the identified QCL source SSB with one or more candidate SSBs to identify one of the candidate SSBs. If the UE determines that one of the candidate SSBs corresponds to the SSB associated with the TCI state, the UE may utilize the stored time or frequency synchronization information to skip the fine timing period included in the SCell activation procedure (and go to 406). On the other hand, if the UE determines that there is no stored time or frequency information for SSBs associated with the TCI state (e.g., SSBs associated with the TCI state are not on the candidate list), the UE may perform fine timing to complete the SCell activation procedure (e.g., as shown in fig. 3).

Based on the TCI state activation command, the UE receives at least one signal 406 from the SCell using the determined time or frequency synchronization information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs. For example, the UE may adjust at least one reception parameter, such as an FFT window, to receive the at least one signal from the SCell. In some examples, the at least one signal is a CSI-RS signal transmitted by the SCell as part of the SCell activation procedure.

In some examples, the UE determines power information of each of the one or more candidate SSBs in lieu of or in addition to time or frequency information prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command, or both. For example, the UE may determine RSRP information for each of the one or more candidate SSBs and may store the information in a hardware storage device. Based on the received TCI state activation command, the UE may receive at least one signal from the SCell using the determined power information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs.

Fig. 5 illustrates a UE 500 according to some embodiments. UE 500 may be similar to, and substantially interchangeable with, UE 102 of fig. 1.

The UE 500 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., microphone, carbon dioxide sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, laser scanner, fluid level sensor, inventory sensor, voltage/amperometric, actuator, etc.), a video monitoring/surveillance device (e.g., camera, video camera, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., smart watch), a loose IoT device.

The UE 500 may include a processor 502, RF interface circuitry 504, memory/storage 506, a user interface 508, sensors 510, drive circuitry 512, power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs) 514, antenna structures 516, and a battery 518. The components of UE 500 may be implemented as integrated circuits "ICs", portions of integrated circuits, discrete electronic devices or other modules, logic components, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. The block diagram of fig. 5 is intended to illustrate a high-level view of some of the components of UE 500. However, some of the illustrated components may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the illustrated components may occur in other implementations.

The components of UE 500 may be coupled with various other components through one or more interconnects 520, which may represent any type of interface, input/output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., that allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

The processor 502 may include processor circuits such as, for example, baseband processor circuit (BB) 522A, central processing unit Circuit (CPU) 522B, and graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 522C. The processor 502 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from the memory/storage 506) to cause the UE 500 to perform operations as described herein.

In some embodiments, baseband processor circuit 522A may access a communication protocol stack 524 in memory/storage 506 to communicate over a 3GPP compatible network. Generally, baseband processor circuit 522A may access the communication protocol stack to: performing user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and performing control plane functions at the PHY layer, the MAC layer, the RLC layer, the PDCP layer, the RRC layer, and the non-access layer. In some embodiments, PHY layer operations may additionally/alternatively be performed by components of RF interface circuit 504. Baseband processor circuit 522A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP compatible network. In some embodiments, the waveform for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM ("CP-OFDM") in the uplink or downlink, as well as discrete fourier transform spread OFDM ("DFT-S-OFDM") in the uplink.

Memory/storage 506 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions (e.g., communication protocol stack 524) executable by one or more of processors 502 to cause UE 500 to perform various operations described herein. Memory/storage 506 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout UE 500. In some implementations, some of the memory/storage 506 may be located on the processor 502 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory/storage 506 is located external to the processor 502, but is accessible via a memory interface. Memory/storage 506 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), static Random Access Memory (SRAM), erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

The RF interface circuitry 504 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM) that allows the UE 500 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 504 may include various elements arranged in either the transmit path or the receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, and the like.

In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from the air interface via antenna structure 516 and then filter and amplify the signal (with a low noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to a receiver of a transceiver that down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to a baseband processor of processor 502.

In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal by a power amplifier before it is radiated across the air interface via antenna 516.

In various embodiments, RF interface circuit 504 may be configured to transmit/receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

The antenna 516 may include an antenna element to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged as one or more antenna panels. The antenna 516 may have an omni-directional, or a combination thereof antenna panel to enable beam forming and multiple input/multiple output communications. Antenna 516 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna fabricated on a surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, and the like. The antenna 516 may have one or more panels designed for a particular frequency band of the bands included in FR1 or FR 2.

The user interface 508 includes various input/output (I/O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 500. The user interface 508 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. The input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, and the like. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information. The output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs/indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes "LEDs" and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays "LCDs", LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), wherein the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by operation of the UE 500.

The sensor 510 may comprise a device, module or subsystem that is aimed at detecting an event or change in its environment and transmitting information about the detected event (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia: an inertial measurement unit comprising an accelerometer, gyroscope or magnetometer; microelectromechanical or nanoelectromechanical systems including triaxial accelerometers, triaxial gyroscopes or magnetometers; a liquid level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; an air pressure sensor; a gravimeter; a height gauge; an image capturing device (e.g., a camera or a lens-free aperture); light detection and ranging sensors; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.); a depth sensor; an ambient light sensor; an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capturing device; etc.

The driver circuitry 512 may include software elements and hardware elements for controlling particular devices embedded in the UE 500, attached to the UE 500, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 500. The driver circuitry 512 may include separate drivers to allow other components to interact with or control various input/output (I/O) devices that may be present within or connected to the UE 500. For example, the driving circuit 512 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to the display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to the touch screen interface, a sensor driver for taking sensor readings of the sensor circuit 528 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 528, a driver for taking actuator positions of the electromechanical components or controlling and allowing access to the electromechanical components, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to the embedded image capturing device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to the one or more audio devices.

The PMIC 514 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 500. Specifically, the pmic 514 may control power supply selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion relative to the processor 502.

In some embodiments, PMIC 514 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of UE 500, including DRX, as discussed herein. The battery 518 may power the UE 500, but in some examples, the UE 500 may be installed and deployed in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 518 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, or the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 518 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

Fig. 6 illustrates an access node 600 (e.g., a base station or gNB) in accordance with some embodiments. The access node 600 may be similar to, and substantially interchangeable with, the base station 104. The access node 600 may include a processor 602, RF interface circuitry 604, core Network (CN) interface circuitry 606, memory/storage circuitry 608, and antenna structures 610.

The components of access node 600 may be coupled with various other components through one or more interconnects 612. The processor 602, RF interface circuit 604, memory/storage circuit 608 (including the communication protocol stack 614), antenna structure 610, and interconnector 612 may be similar to the similarly named elements shown and described with reference to fig. 5. For example, the processor 602 may include processor circuits such as a baseband processor circuit (BB) 616A, a central processing unit Circuit (CPU) 616B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 616C.

The CN interface circuit 606 may provide a connection with a core network (e.g., a 5GC using a 5 th generation core network (5 GC) -compatible network interface protocol such as a carrier ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity may be provided to/from access node 600 via fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 606 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 606 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," and the like may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and/or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN nodes, eNB, nodeB, RSU, TRxP or TRP, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., cell). As used herein, the term "NG RAN node" or the like may refer to an access node 600 (e.g., a gNB) operating in an NR or 5G system, and the term "E-UTRAN node" or the like may refer to an access node 600 (e.g., an eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system. According to various embodiments, the access node 600 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and/or a Low Power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell, or other similar cell having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

In some embodiments, all or part of access node 600 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a CRAN and/or virtual baseband unit pool (vbup). In these embodiments, CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional splitting, such as PDCP splitting, where RRC and PDCP layers are operated by CRAN/vBBUP and other L2 protocol entities are operated by access node 600; MAC/PHY split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC and MAC layers are operated by CRAN/vbup and PHY layer is operated by access node 600; or "lower PHY" split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers and upper portions of the PHY layers are operated by CRAN/vBBUP and lower portions of the PHY layers are operated by access node 600.

In a V2X scenario, the access node 600 may be or act as an RSU. The term "road side unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein the RSU implemented in or by the UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", the RSU implemented in or by the eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", the RSU implemented in or by the gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", etc.

For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be construed to include the phrase "configured to". The expression a component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended to not refer to an explanation of 35u.s.c. ≡112 (f) for that component.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, procedures, or methods described in the examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples shown in the examples section below.

Examples

In the following sections, further exemplary embodiments are provided.

Embodiment 1 includes: determining time or frequency synchronization information of each candidate Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) of one or more candidate SSBs of a secondary cell (SCell) prior to receiving a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status activation command or a SCell activation command; receiving the TCI state activation command; and based on the received TCI state activation command, receiving at least one signal from the SCell using the determined time or frequency synchronization information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs.

Embodiment 2 includes: the time or frequency information of each of the one or more candidate SSBs is a Time Offset (TO) or a Frequency Offset (FO).

Embodiment 3 includes: the method further includes determining power information of each of the one or more candidate SSBs prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command, and receiving the at least one signal from the SCell using the determined power information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs based on the received TCI state activation command.

Embodiment 4 includes: the power information of each candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs includes a Received Signal Reference Power (RSRP).

Embodiment 5 includes: time or frequency synchronization information of at least one of the one or more candidate SSBs is determined during a period between receiving the SCell activation command and receiving the TCI state activation command.

Embodiment 6 includes: one of the one or more candidate SSBs is identified based on the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command.

Embodiment 7 includes: one of the one or more candidate SSBs is a quasi co-sited (QCL) source SSB associated with the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command.

Embodiment 8 includes: at least one reception parameter is adjusted based on the time or frequency synchronization information of the one or more candidate SSBs.

Embodiment 9 includes: the at least one received parameter is a parameter of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window.

Embodiment 10 includes: the at least one signal is a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from the SCell.

Embodiment 11 includes: responsive to determining that the one of the one or more candidate SSBs corresponds to an SSB associated with a TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command, skipping a fine timing period included in an activation procedure of the SCell.

Embodiment 12 includes: the one or more candidate SSBs for the SCell are determined.

Embodiment 13 includes: at least one candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs of the SCell is determined by identifying a quasi co-located (QCL) source SSB of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configured for the SCell.

Example 14 includes: at least one candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs of the SCell is determined by detecting SSBs referenced in layer 1 received signal reference power (L1-RSRP) or layer 3RSRP (L3-RSRP).

Embodiment 15 includes: a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) is measured to determine the time or frequency synchronization information before receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command.

Embodiment 16 includes: the time or frequency synchronization information for each candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs is stored in a hardware storage device.

Embodiment 17 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the method according to or related to any of embodiments 1-16 or any other method or process described herein.

Embodiment 18 may comprise an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1-16 or any other method or process described herein.

Embodiment 19 may include a method, technique or process, or portion or part thereof, according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1 to 16.

Embodiment 20 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, according to or related to any one of embodiments 1-16.

Embodiment 21 may comprise a signal according to or related to any of embodiments 1 to 16, or a part or component thereof.

Embodiment 22 may include a datagram, an information element, a packet, a frame, a segment, a PDU, or a message according to or related to any one of embodiments 1-16, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

Embodiment 23 may comprise a signal encoded with data according to or related to any of embodiments 1 to 16, or a portion or part thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

Embodiment 24 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, according to or related to any of embodiments 1-16, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

Embodiment 25 may comprise an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1-16.

Embodiment 26 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process according to or related to any one of embodiments 1 to 16, or a portion thereof. The operations or actions performed by the instructions performed by the processing element may include the method according to any of embodiments 1 to 16.

Embodiment 27 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Embodiment 28 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Embodiment 29 may comprise a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the system may include the method according to any of embodiments 1 to 12.

Embodiment 30 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the apparatus may include the method according to any of embodiments 1 to 12.

The previously described embodiments 1 to 16 can be implemented using a computer-implemented method; a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions to perform the computer-implemented method; and a computer system comprising a computer memory operably coupled to a hardware processor configured to execute the computer-implemented method or instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

A system (e.g., a base station, a device comprising one or more baseband processors, etc.) may be configured to perform a particular operation or to perform an action by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the action. The operations or actions performed by the system may include the method according to any of embodiments 1 to 16.

Any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various implementations.

Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be specified to the user.

Claims (20)

1. A method, comprising:

determining time or frequency synchronization information of each of one or more candidate Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) of a secondary cell (SCell) prior to receiving a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status activation command or a SCell activation command;

Receiving the TCI state activation command; and

at least one signal is received from the SCell using the determined time or frequency synchronization information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs based on the received TCI state activation command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time or frequency information of each of the one or more candidate SSBs comprises a Time Offset (TO) or a Frequency Offset (FO).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

determining power information of each candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command; and

the at least one signal is received from the SCell using the determined power information of one of the one or more candidate SSBs based on the received TCI state activation command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the power information of each candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs comprises a Received Signal Reference Power (RSRP).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: the time or frequency synchronization information of at least one of the one or more candidate SSBs is determined during a period between receiving the SCell activation command and receiving the TCI state activation command.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: the one of the one or more candidate SSBs is identified based on the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one of the one or more candidate SSBs comprises a quasi co-sited (QCL) source SSB associated with the TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: at least one reception parameter is adjusted based on the time or frequency synchronization information of the one or more candidate SSBs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one receive parameter comprises a parameter of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window.

10. The method according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one signal comprises a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from the SCell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising: in response to determining that one of the one or more candidate SSBs corresponds to an SSB associated with a TCI state indicated in the TCI state activation command, skipping a fine timing period included in an activation procedure of the SCell.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising: the one or more candidate SSBs for the SCell are determined.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining at least one of the one or more candidate SSBs of the SCell comprises: a quasi co-located (QCL) source SSB of channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) configured for the SCell is identified.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining at least one of the one or more candidate SSBs of the SCell comprises: SSB referenced in layer 1 received signal reference power (L1-RSRP) or layer 3RSRP (L3-RSRP) is detected.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising: a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) is measured to determine the time or frequency synchronization information prior to receiving the TCI state activation command or the SCell activation command.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising: the time or frequency synchronization information for each candidate SSB of the one or more candidate SSBs is stored in a hardware storage device.

17. The method of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the method is performed by at least one processor of a user equipment.

18. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any preceding claim.

19. A system comprising at least one processor and at least one storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. An apparatus comprising at least one baseband processor configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-16.